The College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP®) is a computer-based prior-learning assessment that allows examinees the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills necessary to earn postsecondary course credit in higher education. Currently, there are 33 exams in five subject areas: composition and literature, world languages,…

A study was conducted at St. Louis Community College to validate the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT), Form C, as an instrument for student placement, to empirically establish a cutoff score for a mandatory reading improvement program, and to provide more complete and meaningful feedback to students about their reading test results. The study…

California's College of the Canyons has used the four Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) tests to assess students' abilities in basic and college math since spring 1989. These four reports dated June 1993, July 1993, May 1994, and June 1994 examine the predictive validity of the MDTP tests and the cut scores used to place students. The…

A study was conducted at College of the Canyons (COC) in Santa Clarita, California, to provide preliminary data in monitoring for disproportional impact of placement into basic skills courses for various demographic groups. The study was designed to ascertain whether different levels of basic skills courses differ significantly for students in…

This study assessed the predictive and incremental validity of a prototype version of the forthcoming SAT® writing section that was administered to a sample of incoming students at 13 colleges and universities. For these participants, SAT scores, high school GPA, and first-year grades also were obtained. Using these data, analyses were conducted…

In Fall 1994, the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD), in California, conducted a study to determine the validity of the Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) placement test. The MDTP provides tests at four levels (i.e., algebra readiness, elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, and pre-calculus) and is used in the District for…

Since fall 1983, each student intending to enroll in an English course at American River College (ARC) has been required to take a placement test consisting of the vocabulary and usage subtests of the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills of the College Board. A study was conducted to establish the predictive capability of the test by correlating…

In the fall of 1988, a stratified sample of courses at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges in the San Diego Community College District (California) were surveyed as part of a skills assessment research project. For classes into which students were placed on the basis of assessment test scores (in English writing and reading, and mathematics), student…

As part of an effort to statistically validate the placement tests used in California's San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) a study was undertaken to review the criteria- and content-related validity of the Assessment and Placement Services (APS) reading and writing tests. Evidence of criteria and content validity was gathered from…

A study was undertaken to obtain direct empirical evidence for the validity and usefulness of English as a second language (ESL) placement of a shortened version of the Secondary Level English Proficiency (SLEP) Test being used in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) and locally developed and scored writing tests. The LACCD provided…

In 1992, a study was conducted to determine whether student placement rates into college-level courses varied across subgroups of students at Golden West College (GWC), and, if so, the extent to which this disproportionate impact (DI) occurred. The standard of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for employee selection holds that DI…

In 1992, a study was conducted at Golden West College (California) to determine the predictive validity of the Math Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) tests. A total of 1,137 students were tested in-class; 601 took the Algebra Readiness test, 376 took the Elementary Algebra test, and 160 took the Intermediate Algebra test. Two correlation…

In May 1991, Golden West College (California) conducted a validation study of the English portion of the Assessment and Placement Services for Community Colleges (APS), followed by a predictive validity study in July 1991. The initial study was designed to aid in the implementation of the new test at GWC by comparing data on APS use at other…

This paper reports a second-cycle validation study of the test of English at Matriculation (TEAM) following revisions made to the test in 1993. Candidates' scores from four academic sessions (1993-1997) were used to assess the relationship between the performance at the beginning of their degree course and their eventual academic outcome. Results…

In 1991, a study was conducted to determine the differential effects of placement testing on cultural, linguistic, and ethnic groupings in the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD). The study was conducted in two parts. The first part examined the characteristics of the students used to norm the Comparative Guidance Program (CGP) tests used…